Variable cooling turbine



June 14, 1960 w. w. REASER VARIABLE COOLING TURBINE Filed Dec. 31, 1958 TO GAB! N n la S INVENT OR. WILBUR W QsAsssz 372;; 2 i

- A roQNE-"M VARIABLE COOLING TURBINE Wilbur W. Reaser, Pacific Palisades, Calif., assignor to Douglas Aircraft Company, Inc., Santa Monica, Calif.

Filed Dec. 31, 1958, Ser. No. 784,328 13 Claims. 01. 62-402 This invention relates to airplane air conditioning systems and particularly to these systems as applied to large, dual-duty airplanes, including tanker-and-transport airplanes.

Airplanes of this type may be employed either to transport in their fuselages a cargo of fuel together with means for dispensing this fuel to short-range aircraft suitably temporarily in communication therewith for transfer of fuel; or they may be readily converted into troop transports by removing the refuelling fuel tanks, etc, and installing troop accommodations.

in either case it may be necessary to maintain the interior of the fuselage at certain predetermined relatively cool temperatures, in the first instance, in order to avoid the effects of heat upon the volatile and inflammabile fuel and in the second instance for the purpose of preserving the health or comfort of the troops.

However, when operating as a tanker the cooling needs of the fuselages interior are less than when the craft is doing duty as a troop transport. Cooling turbine systems employing a plurality of sources of compressed air are conventionally employed for these craft and if one of these sources should fail, there are no means available for taking care of this situation and maintaining the aforesaid predetermined temperatures.

This invention provides a novel system and an improved cooling turbine which can take care of these various cooling needs in such a manner as to'maintain the optimum temperature in the fuselage at substantially all times, whether the fuselage be that of a tanker airplane or a troop transport and whether all sources of cooling air are contemporaneously available or if only one source is available.

Essentially, the system comprises a multi-engine powered multi-supercharger source of cooling air feeding a single cooling turbine. The turbine is provided with an unique nozzle construction adapted to elfect variance of the inlet area to the turbine 'in proportion to the volume of air directed thereto by the cabin-air superchargers. The drive shafts connecting the engines and the superchargers are provided with clutches intermediate them and the respective engines, and suitable linkage interconnects eachclutch-handle with a respective one of a pair of levers. These levers are clutched to the mounting shaft of a Venturi vane'type variableiarea valving means in the'inlet to the cooling turbine, the clutches on the mounting shaftbeing conventional oneway clutches. These clutches torque this shaft together to cause the Venturi vane to restrict the inlet area and increase the velocity of the diminished amount of compressed air entering the inlet. When the craft is to serve as a tanker, the pilot can declutch and disengage one supercharger, or both, if the'tanker is operating at ultrahigh altitudes. This operation actuates the vane in the throat of the cooling turbine in such a manner as to constrict the throat in Venturi-fashion, accelerates the flow therethrough of the supercharged air from the single supercharger, if used, and with this smaller volume of accelerated air, provides fuselage-cooling at nearly the same rate per pound of air as with both superchargers working but with the throat wide open. The same nited States Patent is of the intercooler type.

Patented June 14, 1960 condition obtains if one of the superchargers or one of the engines should fail, instead of intentionally being cutout. V

When the craft is to serve as a troop-transport of course both superchargers are operated and the inlet to the cooling turbine remains in its fully opened condition, furnishing to the cooling turbine a larger quantityof supercharged air flowing thereinto at a relatively slower rate. The cooling turbine is preferably coupled drivingly to a braking compressor to prevent the turbine from running away, that is, to absorb the excess power of the turbine. An intercooler is also preferably interposed between the turbine and the superchargers for preliminarily cooling the supercharged air before it reaches the turbine and the ambient air used in the intercooler is evacuated therefrom by virtue of its connection to the intake side of the'aforesaid compressor; g 1

One of the embodiments of these and other concepts, selected from several at present-contemplated, is illustrated in the accompanying drawing and is described in detail hereinafter in conjunction with these showings.

in these drawings:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic layout of the present system as combined with two of the propulsion engines of a dual-function, or convertible aircraft; and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of. the cooling'turbine showing the supercharger-and-nozzle operating linkage or selective control system.

The system of the invention is depicted, by way of example, as powered by a plurality .of reciprocating, piston-type engines, but the invention also contemplates the possibility that the system may be utilized in conjunction with turbo-compressor jet engines.

The specific configuration shown includes a pair of piston-type engines 12 each having a power-takeoffshaft, or other rotary'shaft, 13 and 13A by means-of which each engine drives cabin-air pressurizing compressor means, 14, 14A, such'as conventionalwair-couditioning superchargers. Each supercharger is provided withl'an ambient airinlet 15, preferably for ram air, and each supercharger communicates with a bifurcated compressed air conducting conduit 17, the two forks of -17 joining in a duct 18 leading to a heat exchanger 19 which Intercooler 19 has a ram air inlet 21 and :a conduit 20 leads therefrom to a drag, or braking, compressor 22 that includes. an overboard discharge 23.

A short conduit 24 leads the somewhat pro-cooled but compressed air into the throat of a turbine 25,'which is here shown as an expansion-type cooling: turbine that employs the compressor 22, by way of drive'shaft 200, as a loading means for dissipating thelpower of turbine '25, so that, among other things, the turbine will not race or run away.

rather than drivingv a mere drag or brake compressor,

turbine 25 could be madeto do useful work, such as driving the compressor of a conventional Freon aircraft refrigerating system.

In any case, the invention contemplates "that theturbiue, whether a cooling turbine or a power turbine, shall include, in the aforementioned throat, means for varying the inlet-area thereof. Among other instrumentalities contemplated for this purpose is the variable area inlet nozzle group 28 of the configuration shownin Figs. 1 and 2. This nozzle portion or throat of the turbine includes a movable, so-called Venturi, vane 29 contoured longitudinally and cross-sectionally or of compound curvature, in the manner shown so. as to be able to cooperatc,

in its -=active=-position, with the complementarily contoured, '7 7 the flow'*ithere'through of compressed :air from the :inter-i cooler to seek an=extent as to -compensate, in the -;cooling turbine, for any diminution in volume of airr fed the turbine when one supercharger is cut out or fails.

- Ventufi -vane 29 is 'fixed integrall-y to a itorquable support s'ha'ft 33 which i's so1-biased' by a spting36 as to force *the wane29 normally;to lie;lin retracted position, as shown indott'ed lines in" Fig. 2. 'In retracted position,

'flievane' 29 doesinotform-a Venturi throat with the upper *Yentuihwa'rped surface .of the inlet throat :an'din ffact airfthereth'rough, -'for th'en" the combined' output of 'both superchargers is entering the cooling tur'bine;

2' vane {29 is raisableito forrn the throat into an orifice somewhat reserr'rbling a venturi tube in, conjunction with a similarly *warped-surface face 29A in the "throat,

when one of the superchargers 'becomesjinoperative.

' FPempo'r-arily,;therefore, the pr'e-coo'led compressed; air

discharged into the throat 'through ,:vthe conduit 24- is, tae foreiit strikes the rotor of the turbine, increasedin velocity snificien'tlyto compensate for loss in air-volume and substanially m'eet the cooling needs of atransport airera'ftiif'one supercharger fails,' and to completely meet tio'nally used: 'for clutching such engines to such .superchargersythe clutch 16A 'bein'gi'clutchable by positioning i han'dle BSAtO the rightWard, and the clutch 16 also being clutchable by positioning :handle -'35 tothe rightward;

1 "In order 'to :enable the declutching action of either clutch, 16 :and 16A, to raise-vane 29 without affecting the clutch, etc., ofthe other air supplying group, :shaft 33 "is provided:.with= aipair of generally upright, .longitudina'lly spaced horns, 134 and .34A,Lfreely rotatably mounted thereon and held:-against axial displacement by i snxipLringsfll). :Horn seisc'onnected to l'ever 35.:by link 37, and horn 34A is connected to lever 35 by linkt37yand horn- MA iS zconnected tolever-fisA by link 31A.

' t J aapairsdfmpright*pins'412and-41A*protrudefromt-the t uppe'ruperiphery of shaft 3,"-;each pin being'contactible one ot ithe ears 42 and142A the inneriface .:of each :hornnr arm when links-37 iandr37Aare' pulled in de- 'rclutc'hing. 'Ihe horns :are icapableiof .a limited amount "Of t'i'otationalr'movement around shaft 33, although re- :strainedt zagainst longitudinal :movement: therealong iasj aforesaid. :On the distal :end of-shaft 33there is a detent fl and stop 92=effective to"liinitxthe degree of rotation :ofs33. I 3 V V V I '?Thus,:shaftf3 3:can bertorqued to raisezvane 29 toclose j the throatzapproximatelyihalf 'way when :power clutch V r liever-1'35 is'mov'edrinto:itdottedline position-to declutch" and run the system on only the lowerrairesupply' group and cnt.outathelnpperz compressed supplyiunit. When ilever 1553A *is .zdeclutched :to: run :the system on but the zupper power eunit, thornf34Asimi1arly, brings its ear 42A sto zhearzsagainst pin 4 lAtand-torques shaft 33 .to again .raiser29;tofthehalfwayaposition; I .:I t= willl'be apparent; to sthosezskilled in :the art that varions-changesrandzmodificationsemay'bennade in the con- I claim: 7 t

1. Au air-conditioning'system for an aircrafts enclosure, comprising: a plurality .of powered means for affording pressurized air, each 'of said powered means including disconnectible'imeans qconnecting same to its power-source; a pressurizedair operated work-doing means, said means having a pressurized-air inlet throat including :means movable ztherein to increa se the velocity of :air inlet into said "work-doing ,means, and said workenclosures; conduit "means connecting said air-afiording means to said inlet throatgandr-controkmeans connecting the velocity-increasing means in said inlet'to each of said disconnectible means, said control means being seand on said velocity-iner'easing-means to efiect air-velocity increasing operation 6f said VelOcitYdncreasing means and concurrently to disconnect any one of said powered means from its -p.ower=sou'rce withoutdisconnecting the rern'ainingpowered mea'n'sywhereby to-maintain the use- -ful=work accomplished by- 'said' work-doingfmeans at the optimum. 2. An air-conditioning system] for an. aircrafts enclosure, comprising: '-a-p'lurality' of power-sources; a plurality of superchargeseach drivenlby a power source to supply pressurized airforthe enclosureand each supercharger and power 7 source being-occasionally inoperable; drive-disconnecting:means in the drive between each 'power source and its driven supercharger; work-doing means having an inlet throat for-said pressurized air, said inlet throat including means movable therein for increasingjthe :velo'city rof' air i'flowing into said workdo'in'g :means thru said air-inlet means; ;said work-doing -means :including an outlet. leading to said enclosure; and

control means ior csaidvelocity increasing means con- :nected:t0 'each of said driveedisconnecting means and to said velocity-increasing "means and. selectively operable .on each'ofisaiddisconnectible means andton'said velocityincreasing means iforiefifecting :air velocity-increasing A operationtof the :latter-in correspondence to' a diminution :iingthemumberzoflsuperchargers inoperation. t 3. in; anrair-conditioningzsystem thatincliidesa plurality of :ssuperchargers" leach disconnectibly connected to a power-source :and =1 workedoing means having an inlet .i'flow connected to said superchargers and :an outletzfor 45 jairscooled therein, :saidxinletzincluding velocityrincreasing means movable therein for maintaining substantially con- -'stant the woizk-idoingzcapability of isaid awork -idoing gmeans -saidmntrol ineansibeingmperableior effectingmovement 1 ;of the fvelocityr-inoreasing'gmeans :that direction which --'increases theiwelocity rofztheair letzinto gthe work-doing smeans in: correspondence .ito atdimjnution in :thetnumber :of: superchargers iirlope'raltion? tomaintain the cooled :air idischargedzthroughasaidtoutlet atan optimum value.

4. :In' *a'rcabin air-r conditioning system ;that includes a spai-r: ofwsuperchargersxach .idis'connectibly driven by a -power.;source:=and' 1a twoi-kidoing compressed air idriven 7 instrumentality :having :an inlet .itbroat flows-connected to zsaid superchargers Qandsan 'outletdischarging into the cabinznmovable means insaid Jifiletthroatfordecreasing the cross-sectionalxarea thereofm :such.;manner as to increase the :velocity -.of g air emitted by said. throat; and selective :control meanstconnected to 1 the .disconnectible i drive of each of said superchargers tand tozsaidt movable means and selectively operable L110 @fiQCtffliI velocity-in- :crea'sing trnovemlent p of said'movablemeans and l'concurrent. disconnection: :of one :of-said superchargers :from its .powersourcepr I I j, 7 V 5. Anr'aincon'ditioning'systemsforjranaenclosure infan 'ai-rcraft, comprising: apluralityiof superchargers; a power- :sourcetdisconnectibly;driving ealclrsupercharger; ,.a:,cooling turbine havingan inlet throat and a member movable in doing means inccluding an air-dischargepleading into said 7 'lective'ly operable on each =ofsaid disconnectible means said throat to vary the etlective inlet area thereof and a cooled air discharge into said enclosure; conduit means connecting said sources to said inlet throat; and selective control means area-controllingly connected to said member and selectively connected to the disconnectible drive of each supercharger, said control means being selectively operable for disconnecting all but one of said sources from said conduit means while concurrently moving said member in that direction which decreases the cross-sectional area of said inlet so as to increase the velocity of air-flow therethrough, to enable the single source of pressurized air to afford adequate cooling in said enclosure.

6. An air conditioning system for an enclosure in an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of sources of pressurized ambient air; a cooling turbine including an inlet throat having movable Venturi-nozzle means therein for varying the area thereof so as to establish substantially a Venturi efiect therein, said turbine having a cooled-air discharge leading into said enclosure; conduit means connecting said sources to said inlet throat; and selective control means and area-controllingly organized and connected to said area-varying means and operable to decrease the cross-sectional area of said inlet while disconnecting all but one of said sources, and enable said turbine to adequately cool said encolsure with but one of said sources fiowingly connected to said conduit-means.

7. An air conditioning system for an enclosure in an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of power-sources; aircompressing means drivenly connected to each of said sources, each compressing means having an outlet; drivedisconnecting means in the drive between each source and each compressing means operable to interrupt the drive; air-eXpansion-driven, work-doing means having an inlet throat including variable area nozzle means therein, said work-doing means also including discharge means leading into said enclosure; conduit means connecting the outlet 01 each compressing means to the inlet of throat of said work-doing means; and selective control means controllingly organized with each of the aforementioned driveinterrupting means and with said area-controlling nozzle means, said selective means being operable to so decrease the area of said inlet as to increase the airflow velocity therethrough and enable said work-doing means to adequately cool said enclosure with but one of said aircompressing means operating in conjunction with said work-doing means.

8. An air conditioning system for an enclosure in an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of power-sources; an aircompressing means dn'venly connected to each of said power-sources, each compressing means having an outlet; clutch-means in the driving connection between each power-source and the compressing means driven thereby, said clutch-means including an operating handle therefor; air expansion-driven work-doing means having an inlet throat including throat area varying nozzle means therein, said work-doing means including discharge means leading into said enclosure; conduit means connecting each of said compressing means outlets to the inlet of the work-doing means; and linkage means connecting each of said handles and said variable area nozzle means and organized with said clutch means and said nozzle means to decrease the cross-sectional area of said inlet to enable selective operation from among said air compressing means while decreasing the area of the inlet to said workdoing means and increasing the velocity of airflow therethrough so as to compensate for any diminution in the volume of compressed air fed to said inlet due to failure of all but one of the sources of air for said work-doing means.

9. An air conditioning system according to claim 5 and in which said variable area inlet nozzle means comprises a Venturi-cambered vane disposed in said inlet with the eonvexly cambered surface facing inwardly of the inlet and adapted to cooperate with a similarly cambered super-adjacent surface in said inlet; a shaft carrying said vane and extending transversely of the inlet; spring-means associated with said shaft so as to bias said vane normally retracted against the sub-adjacent side of the inlet; and respective clutch-means on said shaft respectively connected to said selective control means and operable respectively to torque said shaft and move said vane into a substantially Venturi-tube establishing relationship with the opposed surface of said inlet.

10. An air-conditioning system according to claim 5 and in which the disconnectible means each includes a mechanical clutch disconnectibly and connectibly interposed in the drive-transmission means, each clutch in cluding an operating lever therefor, the lovers being movable in the same direction in de-clutching to disconnect the drive; a shaft supporting said member in said inlet, the shaft being normally spring biased in that direction which biases the member into an inefiective position; a pair of horns disposed longitudinally apart on said shaft; a pin fixed upright to said shaft adjacent each horn; each horn having a detent thereon for engaging the pin to torque the shaft so as to raise the member into efiective position.

11. In combination: a plurality of sources of pressurized air; air-pressureeenergy dissipating means having an inlet throat and area varying inlet nozzle means in said throat; conduit means connecting said sources to said inlet; and means for selectively flow-controlling each of said sources and concomitantly controlling the cross-sectional area of said nozzle means; said selective-flow controlling means including a throat area varying means; pivotal means for carrying said area varying means; and a pair of selectively operable instrumentaiities mutually so arranged on said pivotal means with reference to each other and so connected to the area-varying means in said nozzle means, that operation of but one of said pair of instrumentalities affects the area of the throat less than does the operation of both said instrumentalities.

12. An air-conditioning system for an enclosure in an aircraft, comprising: a plurality of disconnectibly-powered air compressing means for affording pressurized air; a pressurized-air-operated work-doing means having a pressurized-air inlet including means therein movable to increase the velocity of air admitted thereinto; conduit means connecting said air-affording means to said inlet; and control means selectively connecting the velocity-increasing means to each of the drive-connections for the disconnectibly powered means, said control means being selectively operable to cause said velocity increasing means to move in a manner to maintain the useful work accomplished by said work-doing means at substantially the optimum regardless of the state of the inoperability of any one of said powered means for aflording pressurized air.

13. A cabin air conditioning system, comprising: powered sources of pressurized air each including means for de-powering it, thereby diminishing the total air afforded by said sources; a work-doing instrumentality having an inlet; conduit means connecting said inlet and said sources; means in said inlet movable with reference thereto to augment air velocity therethrough substantially commensurately with the diminution of air-volume supplied thereto; means interconnecting said movable-means with each of said d e-powering means and selectively operable to concurrently disconnect from the system selective ones of said sources and to concur ently move the movable means into said velocity-increasing position; and a discharge conduit leading from the work-doing instrumentality into the cabin.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,625,008 Crook Jan. 13, 1953 2,800,002 Seed July 23, 1957 2,856,758 Eggleston Oct. 21, 1958 

